616 



MICHIGAN. 



1880. The blind wards of the State are now 

 cared for in connection with the deaf and dumb, 

 and the early separation of the two classes is 

 considered better for both. 



Three joint resolutions propose amendments 

 to the Constitution. The first BO amends sec- 

 tion 12 of Article XIII. as to permit the diver- 

 sion of fines imposed for breaches of the penal 

 laws from the city, township, or district libra- 

 ry fund to the general school fund, as the local 

 school authorities may determine. The second 

 empowers the Legislature to authorize the city 

 of Detroit "to aid in the construction and main- 

 tenance of a tunnel or bridge across the Detroit 

 River at or near said city, to an amount not to 

 exceed one per centum of the assessed value of 

 the taxable property in said city." The third in- 

 creases the annual salary of the Governor from 

 $1,000 to $3,000. The second amendment is to 

 be voted upon at the general election to be held 

 November 2, 1880, and the first and third at 

 the election to be held April 5, 1880. 



Appropriations were made for the fiscal 

 years 1879 and 1880, to be levied upon the tax- 

 rolls of those years, as follows: 



For State officers and State government $1,161,000 00 



Capitol grounds and sewer 22,000 00 



University 95,000 00 



Normal School 48,378 00 



Agricultural College 88,080 24 



State Public School 87,000 00 



Institution for Deaf, Dumb, and Blind 86,800 00 



Michigan Asylum for Insane 26,588 00 



Eastern " " " 83,20900 



State Reform School 86,937 51 



School for Blind (new) 45,000 00 



Keform School for Girls (new) 80,000 00 



State Prison 20.080 00 



State House of Correction 8,600 00 



Fish Commission 10,000 00 



To reimburse military fund 25,000 00 



Total appropriations $1,908,667 75 



On February 10th Governor Croswell com- 

 municated to the Legislature the resignation 

 of United States Senator Isaac P. Christian- 

 cy, whose term of office would have expired 

 March 4, 1881. The election of his successor 

 took place on the 18th, and Zachariah Chan- 

 dler was elected by 88 votes on joint ballot, 

 against 22 for Orlando M. Barnes, Democrat, 

 and 3 for Henry Chamberlain, National. In 

 1875 Mr. Chandler was the caucus Republican 

 candidate for Senator, his third term of con- 

 tinuous service being about to expire, but was 

 defeated by Judge Christiancy, who received 

 the Democratic vote and six Republican votes, 

 giving him one majority. Senator Chandler 

 died suddenly at Chicago, November 1st, and 

 Governor Croswell appointed as his successor 

 ex-Governor Henry P. Baldwin of Detroit. 



The biennial election for a Justice of the 

 Supreme Court and two Regents of the Uni- 

 versity (each for the term of eight years), held 

 on the first Monday in April, assumed unusu- 

 al importance because of a fusion or coalition 

 of the Democratic and National parties, whose 

 united vote for Governor the preceding No- 

 vember exceeded the Republican vote by 24,- 

 636. The two parties met in separate con- 



ventions at Lansing on February 28th, and the 

 Democratic Convention appointed a committee 

 rto confer with a committee from the National 

 Convention. The joint committee united in re- 

 porting to each convention the following reso- 

 lutions or platform, two members of the Demo- 

 cratic Committee dissenting on these grounds : 

 " First, it is not germane to the issues involved 

 in the pending election; second, it includes 

 financial doctrines and policies which, in the 

 opinion of a minority of your committee, are 

 neither right nor wise " : 



1. "We deprecate the tendency in our national af- 

 fairs toward? centralization of power and its corrupt 

 use. 



2. We believe in the strict equality of all the States 

 and all classes of citizens before the law, and that our 

 government should be in truth and in fact a govern- 

 ment of the people by the people and for the people. 



3. We are opposed to all further allowance of war 

 claims. 



4. We demand that all money, whether paper or 

 metallic, shall be issued by the General Government 

 only, and made a full legal tender for all debts, public 

 ana private, except as to such contracts heretofore 

 made as were originally payable in coin. 



5. We are opposed to all banks of issue, and demand 

 that greenbacks shall be substituted in place of na- 

 tional-bank bills ; and that the coinage of gold and 

 silver shall be placed in all respects upon the same 

 footing. 



6. We believe that money should be issued in suf- 

 ficient volume to meet the requisites of business ; that 

 the Government should regulate the value of money 

 by preserving a uniform ratio between the supply and 

 demand ; and that this delicate and important power 

 should never be delegated to banks, corporations, or 

 individuals. 



7. We are opposed to all monopolies, and demand 

 that the public domain be reserved to the tillers of the 

 soil, and not squandered upon railroad or other cor- 

 porations. 



8. We cordially invite all men, without regard to 

 past political affiliations, who favor the principles 

 herein set forth, and who love their country and its 

 prospects more tnan party, to unite and work with us 

 to save the people from the bankruptcy and ruin to 

 which the policy of the dominant party is speedily 

 and surely tending. 



In the Democratic Convention, after a sharp 

 discussion and a failure, by a vote of 140 yeas 

 to 174 nays, to so amend the sixth resolution 

 as to declare that " all paper money should be 

 convertible into coin at the will of the holder," 

 it was adopted by a vote of 188 to 120 ; and the 

 other resolutions were also adopted with great- 

 er or less unanimity. The National-Greenback 

 Convention adopted them unanimously. The 

 committee reported as candidates : For Justice 

 of the Supreme Court, John B. Shipman of 

 Coldwater, Democratic and National ; for Re- 

 gents of the University, George P. Sanford of 

 Lansing, National-Democrat, and Henry Whit- 

 ing of St. Clair, National-Republican. Pend- 

 ing their nomination by the Democratic Con- 

 vention, several delegations withdrew from the 

 Convention. The affiliating Convention accept- 

 ed the ticket by acclamation. 



The Republican Convention was held at Lan- 

 sing on March 6th. The following candidates 

 were nominated : For Justice of the Supreme 

 Court, James V. Campbell of Detroit ; for 



